Dolphins D-line might be at full strength vs. Saints

NEW ORLEANS - Cameron Wake and Paul Soliai made the trip to New Orleans, and neither of these Dolphins defenders plan to watch Monday Night's nationally televised game from the sideline.

The Dolphins' two starting defensive linemen, who are both nursing left knee injuries, plan to participate in tonight's showdown with the New Orleans Saints, a battle of two undefeated 3-0 teams.

Both Wake and Soliai practiced on a limited basis most of last week. If they don't suffer any setbacks before the 8:25 p.m. kickoff the Dolphins should have their starting left side defensive end, and nose tackle available for this Week four game. However, their status remains a coaching decision.

"I'm Polynesian. We don't stay hurt," Soliai told the Sun-Sentinel early last week.

However, there is no guarantee that either of these two former Pro Bowlers will start the game.

Derrick Shelby worked as Wake's replacement all week, and the Dolphins appear to be concerned about Wake's ability to set the edge against the run. It is possible that Wake, who suffered a mild MCL sprain in last week's win over the Falcons, will be used as a pass rushing specialist, coming onto the field on third downs, or obvious passing situations.

If cleared to play Soliai, who suffered his left knee injury in the Dolphins' 24-20 loss to the Colts in Week two, will be part of Miami's usual three defensive tackle rotation, which features Randy Starks and Jared Odrick.

Soliai primarily plays on first and second down, anchoring the defensive line against the run. However, there is some concern about his ability to take on two offensive linemen, which is his usual role as the nose tackle on this 4-3 line.

Even if Wake and Soliai play tonight a few youngsters on the Dolphins defense will be carrying a heavier workload.

Shelby, who has been part of the defensive end rotation since the season-opener, could start his first NFL game. Even if Shelby doesn't start he's expected to play more snaps than his usual two series.

So far this season Shelby has contributed five tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles.

The Dolphins are also working on ways to get Dion Jordan, the team's first-round pick, more involved in the base defense. Because of Wake's injury Jordan was forced to play on more running downs last week against the Falcons.

The coaching staff has been very guarded about how they use Jordan, a linebacker at Oregon, because of a lingering shoulder injury. But the rookie's performance against the Falcons, which featured last week's best ProFootballFocus.com grade for a Dolphins defender, proves he's ready for more to be put on his plate.

The Dolphins added Marvin Austin, a 2011 New York Giants second-round pick, to the 53-man roster last week, and it appears the defensive tackle will be active for tonight's game. Austin, who replaced Vaughn Martin, who was placed on injured reserve, has only played in eight NFL games during his two-year career.